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Videoclip of the Month!!!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Hate Division - Strategy Of Obsolescence

Hate Division - Strategy Of Obsolescence

Hate Division is a death metal grind band from Canada. Hate Division is one of those bands that people turn to when they think of extreme metal, its bands like these that make first impressions on new listeners to death metal. The beauty about death metal is that no matter where you hear death metal from (if its underground or mainstream) it all sounds like death metal. You cannot say a band/album is better or worse when it comes to death metal scenes.

Strategy Of Obsolescence is a great example of an underground band that sounds mainstream. They seem to have already found their own sound which is a mixture of raw death metal grind. One thing that they cannot go without in an album that is like this is a raw atmosphere. Raw death metal atmosphere is very common in brutal death metal and the grind genres (death grind, grindcore, pornogrind). For some reason, it’s almost an essential to have this rawness in death metal otherwise the music wouldn’t be evil or dark enough or something. Either way this darkness/rawness that is associated with this album works quite well and gives this album a really grotesque atmosphere. And judging by the album cover, I’m assuming that being grotesque is what was intended.

There is something especially satisfying about the low, down tuned breakdown/slams that occur in this album. I’m not exactly sure if it’s because it sounds heavy or if it’s because there is usually a high energy part the follows. Either way, I don’t think that there is a good death metal grind album that exists that doesn’t have this because it’s almost essential. Not only does it make the music sound darker or heavier, there is an essence of attitude that resides in the music as well.

Unlike many bands within their genre, Hate Division is one of the only bands that I’ve heard who seemed like they know what they are about to play before they have started recording. They don’t have that uncoordinated hitting of drums, screaming as aloud as possible or the “she’ll be right” attitude that many bands have. This album seems like it was well structured and well organised for a death/grind metal band which is definitely something that sets them apart from the rest. Their focus isn’t on how heavy or fast they can play, it’s just about making good music. In saying that, they do also have a very satisfying technical side to their music which just ties the music up into a nice little package.

Overall, this is a pretty good death/grind metal album. There aren’t many death metal bands out there who know what they are supposed to do before they start recording their music. Hate Divison is an exception to this rule because it seems like they know exactly what they were doing prior to the recording of this album. They don’t focus on the stuff what their counter parts are doing elsewhere in the world. But people cannot forget that this is a death metal band so the brutality comes in naturally in their music. I recommend the track The Great Recession to any new listeners to this band because it’s quite a satisfying dose of excellent death metal. Even though this is a good album, they don’t seem like the type of band that will revolutionize or influence other death metal bands unless they pull out something new and unusual. This is why Strategy Of Obsolescence gets a 16/20.